Dreamscape Studios

[Lacy Tortelli]

Aphotography collection is a grouping of my photos around a specific event, experience or theme; dreamscapes are tweaked and tripped out versions of specific photo collections. For example, my Hawaii photo shoot from 2000 was adapted as a dreamscape; the original photos are not available in this collection (though I have them in my database).

My goal with these collections is to tell a visual story over 40-50 pictures, to capture the essence of an experience and express its synthesis. In most collections, I captured hundreds of photographs and determined a specific set of the best to carry forward into a collection.

Photographs in the collections below are shot with my Nikon D3100 DSLR or Samsung Android and edited with Adobe Photoshop or Photo Studio Pro, unless otherwise specified. All photos were taken and edited by Artemis Sere.

Get inspired by the artwork of Teaching Artist-in-Residence Julia Santos Solomon and create a dreamscape with cut-paper pictures representing leaves, flowers, trees, animals, and more. Make a collage where dreams and nature build a colorful abstract background offset by golden accents. Use a large picture cut from a calendar, magazine, or newspaper, other cut-paper pictures, and natural materials like leaves, mixed media, markers, metallic foil flakes, scissors, and glue.

At the age of eighteen, Philadelphian Elliot Ortiz (Ephraim Lpez) joined the marines and was shipped off to Iraq. By the age of nineteen, he received the Purple Heart. On leave to recover from his wounds, Elliot returns a hero to the city of Brotherly Love. As Elliot comes to terms with his own memories of war, the military experiences of his father and grandfather come to light, proving that history often repeats itself in interesting ways. As Elliot's tale moves back in time, the stories of his father (Nick Anselmo), mother (Johanna Carden) and grandfather (Edward Furs) move forward until past and present collide, creating a connection of love, beauty and rebirth from the destructive nature of war. Melding poetic dreamscape with stream-of-consciousness narrative, Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue explores the unspoken connections across time and generations.

Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue premiered in 2006, produced by Page 73 Productions in NYC and was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize. The New York Times praised the production as "a rare and rewarding thing: a theater work that succeeds on every level," while Time Out New York hailed the play as "poignant and achingly evocative both utterly realistic and profoundly moving."

Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue was written by West Philadelphia native Quiara Alegria Hudes. This production marks the first time Quiara's work has been produced in her hometown. Her works include Yemaya's Belly, Water by the Spoonful, 26 Miles and Barrio Grrrl! Hudes wrote the book for the Tony Award-Winning In The Heights, which garnered Tony and Pulitzer nominations for Hudes herself and the HOLA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting. Currently, Hudes' projects include an adapted screenplay for a film version of In The Heights. She is a resident playwright at New Dramatists and serves as a board member/mentor for Philadelphia Young Playwrights.

Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue is directed by Philadelphia native Jos M. Avils. Jos has worked as an actor, director and theatre arts educator for over 20 years. As an actor, he has performed at the Wilma Theater, PTC, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, InterAct Theatre Company and Venture Theatre. In addition to working at WST, Jose has taught at the Wilma Theater and Taller Puertorriqueo. Jos most recently directed the world premiere production of The Domestication of Women; A House wares Party in Two Acts for Straw Flower Productions and Freedom Riders and Mean Girlz R Bullies 2 for the WST critically acclaimed Touring Outreach Company. He is currently the Theatre School Coordinator at WST and founder, artistic and producing director of Teatro del Sol.

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